Literature Glossary
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Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Spenserian Stanza
Definition:
Picture it: London, the 1580s. You're dying to write an epic poem. Problem is, you don't like any of the traditional verse forms. None can contain the ambitious, impressive, totally awesome poem that you have in mind.
So what do you do? Well, if you're Edmund Spenser, you just make up your own form.
The Spenserian stanza has nine lines that follow an ABABBCBCC rhyme scheme. The first eight lines are all in iambic pentameter. The ninth line is in iambic hexameter (a.k.a. alexandrine).
Spenser dreamed up this fixed verse form when he was writing the epic poem The Faerie Queene, which was first published in 1590 and is one of the longest poems in the English language.
It also remains unfinished, so if you're looking for something to do this summer…